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Trash removed from Hubbard Mesa

A front-end loader moves some of the estimated seven tons of trash removed Saturday from Hubbard Mesa north of Rifle. The work day was sponsored by High Country 4 Wheelers and White River Trail Runners.

More than 40 volunteers Saturday removed nearly seven tons of garbage from public land north of Rifle as part of an annual cleanup sponsored by High Country 4 Wheelers and White River Trail Runners.

The volunteers from the two off-highway vehicle clubs, along with the Aspen Dirt Bike School, also designed and constructed a motocross track for visitors to the Bureau of Land Management’s Hubbard Mesa OHV area to use.

The motocross track is part of a number of recently completed improvements to the OHV area, including three open shade structures with picnic tables, a double-vault-style restroom and informational kiosks.

“We hope these improvements will make this popular OHV area an even better experience for the public, and we hope they will discourage the amount of illegal dumping that also occurs in this area,” said Greg Wolfgang, outdoor recreation planner for the BLM’s Colorado River Valley Field Office.

Volunteers filled two 40-yard trash containers with a variety of garbage that had accumulated since last year’s cleanup. The large trash containers were donated by Redi Services and Mountain Refuse Inc.

Riverside Import Autos donated use of a skid steer, and Dick Casey Concrete donated use of a front-end loader, both of which were used to construct the motocross track.

Garfield County discounted dumping fees to their landfill.

“We really appreciate all of the volunteer support from the local clubs, businesses, users, and local governments,” Wolfgang said. “These types of ongoing partnerships help the BLM to provide better recreation opportunities to the public.”